Vermillion
by xxagent182xx
Summary: Beyond Birthday has captured L. Can Light and the others save L from the deranged maniac? One sided BB/L and Light/L.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or any of its characters.

A/N: I love Beyond Birthday's character. I haven't read Another Note but I've decided to put my own twist on his character… I hope you enjoy it.

**Vermillion**

**Chapter 1**

Obsidian eyes slowly opened to darkness. He quickly realized two things: he's sitting in a very uncomfortable chair, and he was tied to it. Thick rope held his back to the chair and his arms were tied to the arm rests; his ankles were tied to the legs of the chair. His back ached from the unusual position. His eyes slid shut as he attempted to control his breathing.

_How did I get here?_

His mind probed for an answer. He couldn't remember anything suspicious. The day had been like any other. He and Light Yagami had been arguing about something trivial, there were no new breaks in the Kira case. Everything was… the same. _Did Light do this? He must have done this. This proves he was always Kira._ He felt the rope tear at the pale skin of his wrists as he attempted to slip out of the rope, he stopped after a few minutes. For now, it was futile. _Whoever did this, will make themselves known soon._

L was suddenly blinded as the overhead lights were turned on. Pain shot through his temple, causing the detective to slam his eyes shut. He hissed softly, turning his face away.

An evil laugh reached his ears. He didn't recognize the voice. _It couldn't be young Yagami_… Cold fingers grasped his chin. "Open up those pretty little eyes for me." The words were cooed softly. The hand was rough on his face. _Whoever this is_… The detective did not open his eyes. _This man was obviously insane, why would he give in to his demands?_ "Open them or I'll cut off your eyelids." The man's voice had shifted, with a crazed undertone. L complied, and hesitantly opened his eyes. He blinked several times to get used to the bright light. Pain lingered at his temples.

He held in a gasp as he stared at the man who moved to stand in his line of sight. Thick white make up was caked onto his face; black eye shadow was messily rubbed around his eyes causing him to look like the living dead. Ugly burns marred his face and neck. He tried to hide them by piling on more makeup, but it only caused him to look more grotesque. This man had tried very hard to resemble L. The roots of the man's hair were light brown; the rest of it was dyed black. The most startling thing about his appearance was his bright red eyes. They were like Misa Amane's eyes. L did his best to not appear startled. "Don't give me that look—don't you recognize me?"

L continued to stare at the man. _Who was this man?_ He shook his head. "I've never seen you in my life." Anger flared in the man's crimson eyes.

"You've never seen me?!" He flashed red-stained teeth as he shouted. He grasped the side of the chair with both hands—his fingers wrapped around L's forearms—and leaned in close. L grimaced at the smell; a sickly sweet scent like rotten fruit radiated off of him.

"No." L stared back, not daring to move his eyes away. The strange man's eyebrow twitched and he turned away, releasing his grip on the chair. He paced, his hands wrenching his dark hair out. L's eyes darted around the room. He was surprised to see he was still at the task-force headquarters, though he did know where exactly he was.

_Who was this man and how the hell did he get in here? The security was virtually impossible to get through. Wedy had gotten through it, but she was a very skilled woman. This man could barely function, let alone find his way in here._ _Where was everyone? Had he hurt them?_

"No… no… no…. no…" The strange man mumbled from across the room. He shook his head frantically. His hair wildly tossed back and forth._ He must have seen me somewhere. He dyed his hair and put tons of makeup on to resemble me. _L could see from his hands that he was naturally tanned. _How could he have ever seen me? I never go out in public, and if I did, how would he know who I am?_ The man continued to curse and mutter under his breath. The detective watched him with wary eyes. _What does this man want?_

"I tried and tried to gain your attention… it didn't work… it never does…" His hands moved from his scalp to his arms; he clawed at them, leaving angry red lines. L tried his best to stay composed. He had only seen this type of insane behavior on film—he had never had to deal with it. The man turned to face him, eyes filled with anger. "I killed them all for you, _L_. Every one… of them. You didn't notice." His head shook. "Why didn't you notice, _L_?"

L remained silent for a moment. His mind calculated the odds of this man killing him. _I'm seventy-six percent sure that this man is going to kill me. _"I've been working on another case that's taken up all my time. I do not have time to track down every murderer."

The man drew closer. "I see… do you know what I did? Of course not. You didn't even notice little ol' me, did you? I killed thirteen people in thirteen days. This happened thirteen days ago, so… twenty-six days ago, I set out and took these insignificant humans from this world." He stood a foot away from L. His hair was in disarray and there were several bald patches from his tearing it out from the roots. "You didn't notice, did you?" Would anything he said appease this man? "ANSWER ME!" The deranged man screamed at the detective, and his silence seemed to agitate the man more.

L slowly blinked. "No, I didn't. Kira has killed thousands of people. I've been occupied." He said softly. He didn't want to anger the man further, but it was the truth.

"If I would have killed more people, you would have noticed?" The strange man bit at his fingers thoughtfully, an odd hopeful look in his red eyes. The answer was no, of course—L had been called by several agencies about other murders and terrorist threats while he was undertaking the Kira case. He wasn't going to stop the case because of thirteen murders. "Your silence is not helping you." L watched with sick fascination as the man's teeth ripped off his nail, causing blood to flow freely. He suckled his thumb softly, his lips curled up into a small smile as he noticed L's eyes on him.

"Who are you?" L took in what the man was wearing: blue jeans and a white short-sleeved shirt… _How does this man know me? He's doing a pretty good job at trying to mimic me… _

He inched forward; his eyes remained on L's face. He studied him for a moment. "I've finally got you in my grasp… It wasn't easy to track you down. Took me months to find you. When I finally did, it took me even longer to crack this system. I liked it better when you stayed in hotels. You moved frequently… A few twenties would have gotten me a key to your room." L took in a shaky breath as the man kneeled down to eye-level. His hands rested on the side of the chair. "I'm your biggest fan, _L_." His hand slowly lifted to touch L's pale face. "And here you are… right. In. Front. Of. Me." L shrunk back against the chair at the contact. His black eyes were wide.

"Don't touch me." He tried to drain all the emotion from his voice to disconnect himself from the situation. The calloused, bloody hands grabbed a hold of his jaw, smearing blood onto his face.

"Don't turn away from me, _L_. I'm in control here. Not you." L's heart pounded wildly in his chest as the man drew closer, his lips mere inches from L's. The scent of rotting fruit consumed the young detective. "My name…" He rolled his head back and forth, effectively cracking his neck. "Is… Beyond… Beyond Birthday. Your heir." L jerked back at the words. The deranged man laughed loudly. "Ah, so you do remember now?"

"I was told you were dead." L said in disbelief. He felt panic bubble in his chest. He knew this man was insane. He had never met B, but he knew he was a very sick man, and needed to be locked up in a high security mental hospital. He had pretended to be him several years ago. He fooled Naomi, but not for long. She was a very intelligent woman. It didn't take her long to figure out his game. He tried to kill himself by lighting himself on fire. He had barely escaped death. _If only…_

"You were told wrong. I faked my death. I knew all about this Kira business, so…" A sickly sweet smile appeared on his lips. "I'm just another number to you and Kira. I easily escaped after that, and here I am. _In the great L's company_. Did you know… I lived in that same house with you for years, and I only got glimpses of you…" He trailed off. He remembered it clearly. Young Beyond looked up the stairs to see L, for only a moment. The impact was great. From that moment, he did everything he could to see the busy man.

"What have you done with the Task Force?"

"Oh, all your little friends?" Beyond said sweetly. "They're locked up on the next level up. We have this floor all to ourselves." He pointed to a camera high up on the ceiling. "This security system is fantastic. I have this airing upstairs for them so they can see their _precious L_ brought down to the trash he really is. I'm doing them a favor, really." He rested his hand on L's shoulder and fiddled with his soft shirt. "I bet you're wondering how I got to you." L said nothing. His eyes moved to stare at the camera, his jaw set tightly. "It wasn't easy. Since you were cuffed to that Yagami boy… I had to improvise. He was shocked, to say the least." He chuckled. "If one L wasn't enough…" He trailed off, his eyes hungrily looking at the detective. L shrunk back as far as he could into the chair.

"You look nothing like me." B's eyes widened at L's words.

"What…" he hissed. "I look exactly like you in every way!"

L looked up at Beyond through his thick bangs. "Maybe from a distance. You paint your face white and dye your hair. You weigh more than me, you're taller, and you have red eyes. You also have very bad scars on your face and neck. Anyone who knew me could tell us apart."

Beyond's jaw clenched and he backhanded L hard across the face. "Shut up!" He screamed. "You say that like people know you. You're nothing. NOTHING!" He smacked L again and again until his head lolled to the side.

Anger drained from Beyond's eyes and was replaced with remorse. He looked startled for a moment before he pulled L into an awkward embrace. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I… I didn't mean to lose my temper…" He raked his fingers through L's hair lovingly, leaving a trail of blood. L blinked his eyes back into focus. Beyond had his arms around his upper chest and was half-sitting on him. "I'm sorry… so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. You know that, right? I want… I want to be your friend." He sloppily kissed L's hair and forehead. "It's alright … Everything will be alright…" He trailed off and rocked himself back and forth.

L's dark eyes were wide. _Does this man hate me or idolize me? _One second he was screaming at him and hitting him, and the next, he was hugging L. _Silence is probably the best thing for now. Let Beyond calm himself down._

Beyond suddenly pulled back and stared at L. The man smiled sweetly at him and touched his hair. "We're going to be best friends. Look what you made me do. If you're good, I won't have to hurt you. If you're bad, I will have to hurt you. It hurts me to do this to you…" His hands pulled forward, bringing L's hair with them. Bloodlust was deep in his red eyes. L let out a started cry as Beyond pulled his hair from the roots. His loose hair fisted in Beyond's hands. He rubbed them between his fingertips, then tossed them aside. "Don't you dare talk to me like that, _L_. You are mine now. You belong to me. I will keep you here forever if I have to."

L gaped at him in disbelief. _This has to be some sick, twisted dream. It has to be._ L slid his eyes shut and took in a deep breath. He hoped to god it was a dream.

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To be continued…

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A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. I like reviews. They really motivate me. I hope to have this updated soon… Also, if you like Beyond I have tons of fics in my favorite that are about him. Take a look, I highly recommend all of them. Special thanks to go my wonderful beta JJ!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Vermillion**

**Chapter 2**

Light Yagami was pissed. He didn't know how much longer he could deal with being handcuffed to L. Not only was L constantly awake, he was always shoving snacks into his mouth. It's disgusting. He would start arguments with Light just to get him angry. He glanced over at L—a fork was stuck between his lips and his fingertip was pressed to the end of it as he stared at his computer screen, deep in thought. He had to be the strangest person Light had ever met. Everything about him… the way he sat, the way he ate, the way he looked… everything was… odd. He isn't ugly—he has a very attractive face—but he isn't conventionally good-looking like Light was. Girls drooled over Light; he doubted women even gave L a second look. The way he walked with his back hunched over was enough to turn anyone away. Then again, he doubted that the man cared. He didn't seem to care about anything besides the Kira case. Had this man ever had a life of his own? Light rested his chin on his arm. L had solved thousands of cases on his own. L wasn't much older than Light, from what he could tell. _Early twenties, maybe?_ His lack of sleep caused dark bags to form under his eyes. The man hadn't slept for more than two hours since they'd been cuffed to each other. Light had to attempt to sleep in a bed with L crouched next to him, typing away. It was driving him mad.

"Watari?" L's voice sounded next to him. "Would you please bring me some coffee?" His voice was low and monotonous. Even his coffee didn't interest him.

"Yes, Ryuzaki." Watari's voice was soft and gentle. Light smiled. He had grown fond of the old man. He wondered how he and L met…

L's black eyes locked with Light's. "Light, would you care for some coffee?"

"Sure, as long as there's no sugar in it." L gave a distasteful look.

"Watari, please bring Light a coffee, too. Thank you." L went back to work. They had been working for eight hours straight, and Light knew they were going to be working for eight more hours. Coffee would help, and so would a short break. Staring at a computer screen for that long did a number on his eyes, and caused a growing pain at his temple.

"Hey, Ryuzaki, can we take a little break? Only ten minutes?" He knew the others would appreciate a break. L ignored him. "Come on—we've been working nonstop. I know Kira isn't going to catch himself, but what harm can a short break do?" L finally looked over at him and seemed to ponder for a moment, the pad of his thumb pressed against his bottom lip.

"Only ten minutes." The Kira case had been dead for a month. Nothing was happening. It was boring Light, and he knew L was depressed. He wasn't eating as much junk food as he usually did…

Light felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He shivered. He had a strange feeling. He glanced over to L, expecting him to be staring at him, but he was staring at his computer, still deep in thought. He couldn't help this feeling… "Ryuzaki, do you have this weird feeling, like we're being watched?"

The corners of L's lips lifted up slightly. "Well, we_ are_ being watched." He pointed towards a camera. "Remember the security system?"

"No, that's not it. It's something else." Light sighed heavily and got up to stretch his arms and legs.

Watari came into the room with a push-cart. Steaming cups of coffee were on it. A gentle smile was on his face as he gave the others their drinks. He handed a mug to Light. "Here you are. Just as you asked—no sugar."

"Thanks, Watari." Light set his coffee down to cool. Watari wheeled the cart out of the room in silence. L had already began sipping his coffee and looked very pleased with the amount of sugar in it. "Would you like some coffee with your sugar?" Light said playfully. He smiled and sat back down in front of his computer. L eyed the liquid within the porcelain cup. "Not enough sugar?" L dipped his bony pointer finger into the cup and swirled it around. His eyes widened when he hearda soft thump from behind them.

Light turned to see his father collapse along with the others. "What the hell? DAD!" He rushed to his father's side, dragging L with him. He was slumped forward in his seat, his head resting on the table. He appeared to be unconscious, as did Aizawa and Mogi. "Shit—what happened?"

"Drugged," L said softly. He didn't drink too much of the coffee, but it was enough. Whatever was in it was very potent. The detective's eyes were wide. "Light, we've got to get out of here now!" He stumbled forward and clutched his head. The room seemed to whirl around him. He tried to gain his focus. Light shook his father in an attempt to wake him, but he didn't stir.

Light heard a low groan and felt the chain jerk down. He turned, bewildered. L had passed out. "Fuck." Light scowled and reached down to pick up L. _Who had drugged them? How the hell did they get inside?_ He grabbed L under his armpits, but stopped when a deranged laugh reached his ears. Light turned to the unfamiliar voice. His eyes narrowed at the man that stood in the doorway. He looked like… L. Well… not really, but he sure as hell was trying hard to. His eyes were bright red—like fresh blood. "Who the hell are you?"

The man stood in the open doorway, a menacing grin on his face. His eyes lingered on the fallen detective for a few moments, then they drifted to Light's face. His eyes squinted slightly as he looked above Light's head. "Yagami." His voice was hoarse and low. Light didn't know who this man was, but his only guess was that this was Kira, and he knew his name. His heart thundered in his chest. He's here to kill the Kira Task Force. "Put _L_ down, and _maybe_ I'll let you live." The man spoke in English. Light had no intention of leaving L with Kira.

"This isn't L. This is one of his many proxies. We've never met the _real_ L." Light said with confidence—he knew this was his best bet to get L out of there. The man must have seen L at some point to have been able replicate his appearance**. **This was their only chance. Light could try to fight him off, but with L handcuffed to him, he'd be a sitting duck.

The man giggled softly and lifted his fingers to his mouth. He began gnawing at them. "I… know… that's L… don't… think you… can fuck with me!" He said between bites. His red eyes lit up like fire as they moved to the handcuffs that bound L and Light together. "I can see his name above his head, and I can see yours, too." He gave a bloodied grin. Light inwardly gasped. _Had_ _this man been biting his own tongue? How could he see our names? Who the fuck is this psycho?! Could he be the second Kira? _"I already gave you an option. Leave him, and you, and these other rats will live." _How DARE he call them rats!_

"There's no way in hell I'm leaving him with you, Kira! You're going to have to kill all of us!" Light's knuckles whitened as he clenched his fists.

Another laugh filled the room—the man's shoulders shook with glee. "You think I'm that pathetic shit _Kira_?! AhAHAHHAHA! You're not even close. My name was Beyond Birthday. I like to see my victims' faces as I squeeze out their last breaths." Right after he spoke, he lunged forward at Light. His fingers latched onto his throat. "You wouldn't listen." Light tried to move, but L's dead weight kept his arm restrained. Red eyes were ablaze and staring into Light's. "I'll have to leave bruises on your pretty little neck."

Black started to flood Light's eyesight. He gasped for breath. _No! This isn't happening!_ He clawed frantically at Beyond's arms, trying to wrench the hands from his neck. Thick lashes fluttered as darkness flooded his vision. His breathing evened out and Beyond laid him down on the ground. The boy had passed out. He smiled as he moved to L. The handcuffs would prove to be an interesting problem.

x.x.x

Light awoke with a startled gasp. His hands immediately moved to his bruised throat, massaging the injured skin. His eyes cast down to his wrists as he noticed the missing weight. He quickly surveyed the room. He could see his father, Mogi, and Aizawa were still unconscious. They had been moved to the center of the room, close to him. The brunette slowly stood up; his head throbbed. L was not in this room.

"Hey Ryuzaki?" He jogged to the other side of the room and looked up the stairs. "Ryuzaki!?" He shouted. His voice echoed in the silence._ Shit, this is not good. Where the fuck is he? Did that guy take him with him?_ He could be dead for all he knew.

His breathing stopped as he heard the insane man's voice. He looked around the room. It sounded like it was coming from one of the back rooms... He registered L's softer voice. He moved into the back room. Monitors lined the walls. _This must be where Watari monitors the video footage_. His brown eyes widened as he saw L, the great detective, tied tightly to a chair in the center of the room. His eyes were unfocused and his face was void of any emotion. Beyond paced back and forth, pulling his hair out. _What did he want with L? He hasn't killed him yet, so he must have some other motive_. The man rambled on about some people he killed to get L's attention. This perked Light's interest. He looked around the screen to see where they were. It looked like the main area leading into Misa's room. He could get there in a minute or so. He sprinted out of the room and to the main door to the hall. He tried to the door knob, but it wouldn't budge. "Shit…" He tugged at it and it just wouldn't budge. Beyond must have activated the security lock-down.

He went back to the security monitor room. He pulled up the nearest chair. _Where is Watari? He isn't in the room with them. Could he be outside? _He was filled with hope for a second. Misa and Matsuda were also outside. Misa was filming a commercial! They would have to come back... eventually. They wouldn't be very useful, but they might get help from Watari. He eyes rested on the screen. Beyond's pissed about something. He backhanded the young detective several times until L's head fell forward. A deep frown formed on Light's face. Beyond continued to yell at the detective. Light fiddled with the volume so he could hear what they were saying more clearly. Beyond wailed, and latched himself onto the detective, dragging himself onto L's lap. L visibly flinched at the disturbing contact. Light was surprised his eyes could get any wider. He didn't sound like he wanted to kill L… He wanted to be his friend… The man was obviously obsessed with L ,and his behavior was saying two very different things. This man was insane. The way he was touching L and holding him was very… odd.

Beyond hopped off L and stood in front of him, blocking the man completely from view. "We're going to play a game. We're going to get to know each other—that way, we can be best friends. I will ask you a question, and you will tell me the answer. Not a lie. I want the truth. I'll know if you're lying. If you're lying, I will get the truth out of you, and it won't be pleasant for you. I brought along some tools to help me. It will be very fun for me. After I get a truthful answer, I will allow you to ask me something." There was silence for a minute.

L sighed heavily. "What do you want to know?"

"I'm glad you can be agreeable sometimes." He circled L with a predatory glint in his eyes. L sat in silence. He appeared deep in thought. The wheels turned in his mind. He's probably trying to calculate his chance of survival and how he will escape. This man isn't very bright if he thinks he can keep the greatest detective in the world tied to a chair. Light knows L will escape. He's very clever. Beyond paced again. "I'll ask the most important question. What is your name?"

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To be continued . . .

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A/N: Special Thanks to my Beta JJ


	3. Chapter 3

**Vermillion **

**Chapter 3**

Here he is… right in front of me. My mind still cannot comprehend that my lifelong dream has finally come to fruition. His dark eyes are still fogged over from the drugs I slipped into his coffee; they try to stay focused on my face. I let a grin spread across my face. His head fell forward as I asked him what his name is. He was silent for longer than I'd like. "Well…?" His eyes turned up to me, looking through his bangs. Oh this is delicious, the fire in his eyes. The question was simple enough… His eyes drifted to the camera, moving away from my face. Who's so important in that other room that he is looking away from me?! I grasped his jaw and sharply pulled it back to face me. He flinched at the contact. "If we're to be best friends, I must know your name. You know mine…" His jaw clenched tightly as I loosened my grip onhim letting my hands fall to my side.

"Beyond, you know I can't tell you that. You could be Kira. You'd kill me the moment you found my name." L spoke softly—I could barely hear him. Who does he think he is, comparing me to that nasty little Kira? I took in a deep breath and dropped to my knees, staring into his eyes.

"I would never kill you. Never. Never… never… I just… just…" My hands touched his alabaster skin. He's like a porcelain doll. A precious, precious doll. If I'm not careful, he will break; I don't want him to fall and break. Crimson fingerprints stained his cheeks.

His face remained blank—never changing… His skin… warm under my fingertips… soft and delicate. "L, please, let me hear you speak your name." His eyes searched mine for an answer as if he would find one. "I'm not this filth Kira you speak of. I need to _feel_ blood on my hands. I need to _hear_ their cries of pain…" My heart started to thump wildly in my chest. Saying these things…

"St-op- Be-yond-" I barely heard the soft sound. My eyes went to L's face. His eyebrows were drawn together and his lips were open in a silent gasp. My head tilted. My hands were… I quickly removed them from around his throat. He sucked in huge breaths of air. I stared at my red, wicked hands.

His eyes were wide. The way he looked at me… like… like I'm _insane_. I'm not insane. I'M NOT INSANE!! What does he know about me? NOTHING! I stared into his eyes. They seemed to see right through me. I'm nothing to him. He's… he's everything to me. _My precious L_. I touched his hair. It's soft between my fingers… the opposite of mine. Mine has become rigid with the amount of dye put into it so I can appear as he does. My fingers drift down to his face, touching the gentle curves of his cheeks and jaw. I lightly touched his lips—they're soft and full. He's… he's my doll. His lips were moving as I stared at them. "What…" my voice trailed off. His lips quivered. He's perfect… No scars marred his skin. His skin looked as though he'd never been outside of a building. He's been locked away…

"…Stop touching me…" He gave a warning and my hands fell from his face to rest at my side. I drew back a step. The greatest detective in the world. He should be boxed up and put beside my bed.

My head tilted as I stared at my L. "You haven't answered my question. I'm being patient." I could see the red letters of his name hovering over his head; his life span getting shorter and shorter… Kira must be closing in…

"You call choking me being patient?" His eyes narrowed as he spoke. "You already know my name. You've said it several times."

"I want you to say it. I want you to say, 'My name is—'"

"My name is _L_." My mouth widened into a toothy grin. The words sounded so sweet from his lips. Such a simple and odd name…

"Now, was that so hard?" I crossed my arms. "Well then, what's the rest of your name?" Something dark flickered in his eyes.

"I will never tell you. Any of the people in the other room could be Kira, waiting to kill me."

I chuckled. "I highly doubt that. You have those fools groveling at your feet. How many of them have died for your _cause_?" His eyes diverted to the floor. How touching—this was upsetting him. "Tell me your full name, NOW!" I could see him crawl into the back of his own mind. He's terrified of his own name. How could he be terrified of such a beautiful name?

My hand reached out and rested on the side of his face. "I will get my answer, L. How can we truly be friends if you keep things from me? Let's go to something very simple. If you answer this question, I will allow you one question to ask me… hm… How old are you?" His dark eyes lazily rolled up to meet mine. His eyes were completely unreadable. He could lie to me and I would never know. No one told me how old he was. Before today, I've only seen glimpses of him. I have ways to make sure he's telling the truth... Friends never lie.

"I'm twenty-four." _What? Twenty-four? He's… he's two years younger than me. How can this be? The great L…_ I stared at him, my eyes taking in the dark bags under his eyes… he probably has hardly slept in years…

"You're telling the truth?" He nodded, his eyes unwavering. "Fine. You get your single question." I already feel closer to him; my respect is greater.

"Where's Watari?" Ah, the old man. He won't like the answer. I circled around him, taking my place behind the chair. My hands rested on his shoulders.

"Watari is outside of this room. He helped me get in here. All I had to do was threaten the other children. He knows I'll kill them. Near is next in line to replace you, right? I told him I'd tear Near's pretty hair from his scalp then shove it down Mello's throat while the others watch. He didn't seem pleased by this. He was reluctant to help even then, but… I can be very persuasive. He _wuvs_ his _widdle L_, and doesn't want any harm to befall him. If he tries to escape… well... I will kill everybody here. My henchman is also keeping a close eye on him." I had caught the old man while he was at some candy shop down the road from here. I was very surprised and happy to see him. He was not pleased to see me. "I had him go back to the huge building you were staying at and act like everything was fine. I then proceeded to have him put the drugs into the drinks." _How wonderful!_ I smiled at L, but he didn't look at me. His eyes were directed at the camera. A low growl escaped my throat. "You're supposed to be paying attention to ME!" My fingers caught in his hair and jerked his head back to look up at me. "Everyone in that room hates you! You said it yourself that any of them could be Kira. Why are they so important?" I was met with silence. "Well now, why don't you tell me about your little friends, hm? Starting with that boy, Yagami."

"There's nothing to say. They're helping me on the case. They're from the NPA." I roughly released his hair.

"Isn't he rather young to be helping you? He looks sixteen."

"He's twenty, and he's well qualified."

I leaned in close. "Why would you have a twenty year old boy handcuffed to you?" The corners of my lips lifted.

"It doesn't concern you." How amusing, keeping secrets…

"It does, L, oh it does. You think he's this Kira, don't you?" His face betrayed nothing. "He doesn't look like a killer to me, but looks can be deceiving. I think we'll have some fun with this…" I moved to the door and pressed the intercom button, "Please bring the young Yagami boy in here."

"As you wish, Beyond." Watari's voice held so much anger. _HA! This situation must be upsetting him._ I brushed the thought off and went back towards L.

I pulled up a wooden chair and placed it across from him. I sharply bought my hands together. "This is going to be fun!"

"I highly doubt that, Beyond." His voice lowered to a hiss.

_I'm going to enjoy this._

A soft knock sounded through the room. "He must be here." I swiftly turned towards the door and opened it. The boy's arms were crossed over his chest—my lowly henchman stood behind him, a twisted smile on his face. "Please come in and sit. Try anything, and you'll lose fingers." I motioned to the empty chair. His eyes widened slightly at my words—I got the point across. He's Japanese, but he understood English well enough.

I have to admit, the boy was beautiful. His glossy hair was perfect in every way, his face—flawless. He was the true definition of boring beauty. He was like those people in magazines, air-brushed to perfection. He walked with his head held high and his shoulders stretched proudly. This boy had something to lose. _Everything._ I smirked as he sat across from my little L. His shining brown eyes flickered over to him, a bit of concern in them. How touching. This boy must be friends with the great detective. L showed no concern for him, of course. His eyes remained fixed on me. This only confirmed my suspicions of their friendship. My head tilted as I stared at the two. I moved to the boy and secured his arms and legs with rope. He made no fuss. Good boy.

"Are you Kira?" The boy's eyes shifted to mine, sharp intellect behind them.

"No, I'm not Kira." His voice was laced with venom. He'd been asked this too many times. Hmmm… L must have at least brought him in for questioning. "Why do you want to know?"

A happy smile came to my lips. "If you were Kira, I would kill you. I'm very good at detecting lies… you're telling the truth. There must be some sort of evidence against you. Isn't that right, L?" He said nothing. Silence does not suit him. The evidence must be very convincing if L is keeping this boy around. His finger nails are groomed nicely; his clothes tailored to fit him perfectly. Not a hair was out of place. Light Yagami was the complete opposite of L. How quaint. They were probably always at each other's throats. _Let's see how close they are._

"Yagami, what is his full name, including his surname?"

The boy answered quickly. "He's never told me his real name, only his alias, L." This is not surprising, the only reason I know his name is…

"How old is he?" I received a shrug.

"He's never told me that either. He's rather secretive."

This is perfect! I must be his only true friend! I turned to L—his eyes were staring off into the distance. My hand rested on his bony shoulder. "I've only seen glimpses of L before this point, and I lived in the same house as he did. Of course, the few times I did see him, I had to go out of my way. I had to stay up all hours of the night, and wait for him to come downstairs to get his tasty treats. Most of what I know, I only know because of what I've heard from the other children." I leaned close to his ear. "Near is your favorite, isn't he? I think I may need to call in a favor…" I smiled wickedly. The ideas I come up with. I could tear the boy to pieces in front of L. The others, too. No one will ever replace L. NO ONE! I squeezed his shoulder tightly, feeling the bones underneath.

"Are you two friends?" L's body stiffened under me. Hm…

It took a moment for the boy to answer. How… suspicious… "No, we're not friends."

"Why are you not friends?"

"Have you seen how he acts? He has no emotions, he doesn't care about anyone. He eats junk non-stop. He starts fights with me all the time. He tries to trick me into saying I'm Kira." His eyes narrowed. "So, no, we're not friends."

"If I killed you right now, he wouldn't care?" The boy shook his head. "What if I killed him?"

L pulled at the rope oh his arms. "You said you weren't going to—" He was silenced by a slap to his face. An angry red mark remained on his cheek. I stared at it for a moment. His lips were slightly parted, his breathing was fast…

"I'm asking _him_ a question, not you!" The boy was still silent. His focus remained on L. "I take that as a yes, you would be upset. I thought you didn't like him? Well…you're wasting your time. I'm his only friend. I even brought him special treats. Homemade jam! I picked all the fruit. I crushed them and added lots of sugar! Did you bring him jam? NO!" I turned away from them to grab a bag I brought with me. He'll love this. I'll prove my friendship to him. I reached into the bag and grabbed the small jar of red jam. Tasty, tasty jam…

I turned to the two. Light looked vaguely intrigued by the jar of jam in my hands, and L seemed to be deep in thought. _He's planning something…_ I narrowed my eyes as I walked up behind him. "Watari mentioned it was almost snack time, and that was a few hours ago. I made this for you. I added some special ingredients." I twisted the jar lid off, tossing it to the floor. I brought the jar to my nose and inhaled deeply. "Mmmm. Jam is my favorite food. I could eat it all day." I stood in front of my L. His eyes followed my every movement. I like this. I'm keeping his interest. "You must be starving. I'm not going to undo the handcuffs. I'll pour this into your mouth. First, let me tell you about these special ingredients." I let a wicked smile cross my face. "You remember those people I told you about? The ones I killed?" He nodded warily. "I drained some of their blood and I added it into this, that's why it's this lovely reddish brown." His eyes widened slightly.

"I'm not eating that. That's disgusting!" He looked disturbed by the thought.

"Oh, you will, my little L. You will, or I'll start breaking your friend's fingers. One by one." His eyes diverted from mine to look at the boy.

"He is not my friend. What you do to him does not concern me."

"WHAT!? Ryuzaki, you can't possibly mean that!" The boy's voice was desperate. This is beginning to get fun.

"If he doesn't concern you, then I'll break _your_ fingers! Since the only person you give a damn about is yourself." I growled. He doesn't care about this boy; he doesn't care about me… I slammed the jar of jam down on his right hand. The sound of his fingers breaking was delicious. I barely heard the yelp escape his lips. I leaned in close to his face. He was biting into his bottom lip, drawing blood. His eyes remained clenched shut in pain.

He was trying so hard to not show he was in pain. Blood dribbled down his chin. He looked up at me through watery eyes as my fingers grasped the side of his jaw, pressing hard. It took a few moments for his jaw to unlatch, and the moment it did, I poured the jam into his mouth. I dropped the jar and clamped my hand over his mouth and nose, shutting off his air. _He's eating this whether he wants to or not._ He gagged and struggled under my hands. I couldn't help myself, I started laughing. The Yagami boy was yelling about something… I held my grip tighter until I could feel him swallow the jam. I released my grip on his face. He coughed several times. "If you throw it up, I'll make you eat that, too, and I'll break your other fingers." His breathing came out in heavy gasps. I leaned close to him. "That wasn't so bad now, was it…?" I smiled at him and touched the side of his face. "Now you have part of me in you…" His eyes widened and I heard a gasp.

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To be continued . . .

A/N: Special Thanks to my Beta JJ! Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and alerts! I'm sorry this took so long to update. Thanks for reading!!! This should be the only chapter from Beyond's POV. I wanted to make it a little different.


	4. Chapter 4

**Vermillion**

**Chapter 4**

_Warning: This chapter contains blood, torture, and language. _

Near gently placed another domino onto the tiled floor. His eyes drifted across the room. His masterpiece was near completion. He smiled to himself. W_hen L comes back and sees this, he will be so proud of me_.

Roger's concerned voice sounded from the other room. Near carefully stood up and walked into the other room. Mello stood against the wall, a chocolate bar between his lips. The old man sat behind his desk, hands folded neatly on the mahogany, a deep frown on his face. "Boys, L has not been in contact with me for over an hour. It is safe to assume that either L has been killed, or incapacitated." Near took his place on the floor and quickly put together the puzzle he had left there earlier.

An aggravated sigh came from Mello as he rushed forward, slapping his palms onto the table. "He should have never shown his face to that fucking Task Force! Kira is one of them! I'll solve this… before _you_ will, _Near_." His eyes narrowed at the younger boy.

Near smiled as he put in the last piece of the puzzle. "L isn't dead, Mello. Your thinking is so child-like. Roger has mentioned nothing of Watari's data deletion. L is very much alive. I will assist Roger."

"You?! HA! I'll come with you so that when you fail, I'll be there to gloat."

Roger stood. "I was hoping you two would volunteer. We leave to the airport in twenty minutes—pack only what you need." Mello's golden hair fell onto his face as he leaned forward, taking a bite out of the chocolate bar. _This is going to be fun. I'm going prove that I'm better than Near, and L will see it himself… and make _me_ his successor_.

x.x.x

Light Yagami's lip lifted in disgust. He felt sick. Beyond had just forced the greatest detective in the world to eat jam that had his own blood in it. He shuddered, his eyes never leaving L's pale face. L sucked in giant breaths, jam mixed with old blood dribbling down his chin. If he had been disgusted, it no longer showed. His face was as emotionless as ever.

Beyond kicked the empty jar toward the door, his arms crossing as he turned to Light A sadistic grin played on his face. It was so wide, the corners of his mouth cracked and started to bleed. "You're insane!" Light spat. Beyond's laughter was his only response. The room remained mostly silent for a few minutes after that; the only sound was L's labored breathing. _I can't believe this is happening. The fact that this maniac is here means Kira could get in here and kill everyone! He can barely function, let alone devise a plan to get in here… Unless this man was more than just a psycho… _Light mused as he stared across at the two. 

"That wasn't so bad, now, was it, _L_?" Beyond hissed, bringing his stained fingers to his own lips. "I have something very special planned for you. After today, you will never be the same." L didn't acknowledge him in any way. Light felt something rise in his chest. He felt… proud? _How the hell can L be so damn calm? If I were in this situation..._ Light felt another shudder move through his body. T_his maniac has something very unpleasant in store for L_. "Now where were we…" He paused, his hands reaching to pull at his black hair. "Ah yes, I remember now. Your full name. Say it." L remained calm and quiet. A loud laugh filled the air. "I was hoping this would happen much later. I never knew your name was SO special. You know _my_ name… it's only fair if I know yours. You have one more chance before I start to cut into your face..." Beyond spoke nonchalantly—as if slicing someone's face open was an everyday occurrence for him. And for all Light knew, it was.

Light had had enough. As much as L annoyed the hell out of him, he didn't want the man to be _tortured_. He had to be the most stubborn person he had ever met. "Tell him your goddamn name! I'm not Kira, no one in that room is Kira!" Beyond regarded Light for a moment, taking in the rage on the boy's face then turned back to L. Light let out a sigh of relief—this gave him the chance to fight with the rope binding him; he also hated when Beyond looked at him.

"The boy's smarter than he looks. As much as I'd love to slice into your pretty little face, I'd much rather keep it intact for now." Beyond's eyes lingered on the number hovering over L's head. He only had a few hours to live… This greatly concerned Beyond…

L's voice finally cut the silence. "You know I cannot do that. More than my life is in danger here. I wouldn't be surprised if _Backup…_" Beyond hissed loudly at the name, "…is working with Kira. You've wanted me dead for years."

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME THAT! I'm already sick of your fucking bullshit! You're nothing but—" His words were cut off as he covered his mouth to giggle uncontrollably. He turned away from the two geniuses and leaned over, pulling the old backpack into his scarred arms. He reached his hands into it, grasping something. The bag dropped to the floor with a loud thump. In one swift movement, he was in front of L again. Between his pointer finger and thumb, he held a razor blade. "This blade has killed many people. But you know that, don't you, L?" He knelt down to L's eye level. Black and red eyes met. They both narrowed. "I didn't want to hurt you, but for us to be friends… You made me do this." Without warning, he grasped L's jaw tightly. Light gasped sharply. The insane man moved in close to L's face as he struggled to free his jaw, jerking his head back and forth uselessly. "This is going to hurt a lot, _Lawliet_." L's eyes became impossibly large as the razor was stuck between his parted lips and dragged sharply to the right. L couldn't contain the yelp of pain that left his throat. Beyond dropped the blade and clamped L's mouth shut. Blood flowed freely from the wound, drenching Beyond's hand. He leaned in close to the detective's face, watching everything that passed through the other's eyes.

Light fought desperately to get out of the chair—it was useless! He had almost knocked the chair over. All he could do was cringe and turn away as Beyond cut into L's face. He felt like screaming. He could have sworn Beyond said a name to L… Lowlight, or something like that. _Did Beyond know L's true name? If he did, why the hell was he torturing L to get his name?_

L's dark eyes watered as he blinked repeatedly, trying to process the deep pain that appeared at his mouth. He felt something very wrong as the coppery taste of blood flooded his mouth. He tongued the side of his mouth—the skin parted there. A deep tremor ran through his body. He brought in deep breaths through his nose, his eyes sliding shut. He didn't even notice Beyond release the grip on his face. _I can handle this pain—it's nothing_, he told himself as his head fell forward. His teeth clenched tightly, the pain spreading upward towards his cheek. Beyond had always been insane, but he never took him for a torturer. _The madman went through all of this to get my name, and he already knew it._ He felt fingers in his hair and he could hear Yagami saying something….

"There, there, L. That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Beyond repeated what he had said earlier and pet L's hair lovingly.

"You sick fuck! Get away from him!" Light shouted and struggled more. He could feel the skin on his arm tearing under the thin rope. _This can't be happening, L is… L is untouchable._ He could see the blood flowing down L's sickly pale chin, soaking his once white shirt.

"Look what you made me do…" Beyond cooed softly, his hands moving to rest behind L's scalp, lifting his face up. L's eyes slowly opened to warily look upon vermillion colored eyes. Beyond leaned in close, his tongue lapped at the blood that still spilled down L's face. He smiled—the taste of blood sent a sick thrill through him. He wanted to see more blood pooling around the detective… He was literally thrown out of his thoughts as L's forehead met with his, sending him toppling backwards.

L spat at him, "You disgust me! I never wanted anything to do with you. I hope you didn't think that you could come in here without someone knowing. If I don't check in after a certain amount of time, Roger is immediately notified. You're a fool, Beyond." Each time his mouth open, more blood spilled from the painful wound on his face. Light grinned, that bastard is finally getting what he deserved. From the floor, the red eyed man stared at L, a smile slowly creeping onto his lips. Light's smile disappeared quickly, that man's smile alone made him nervous.

"I figured you'd have something rigged. How perfect would it be? L and all his little prodigies here with me again…" Beyond snarled, getting up to his feet as he spoke. "Near was always the favorite. _I_ was never the favorite!" He stopped in front of the bag, casting a concerned look in L's direction. "I need to fix that wound—I can't have you bleeding to death before they get here…" Light stared between the two. _What the hell is that psycho talking about? Who's Near? _His eyes rested on L as Beyond shuffled through the bag he brought with him.

The look in L's eyes changed. His dark eyes narrowed. "If you even _think_ about tou—"

"You'll what?" Beyond held a needle and clear thread in his hands. He smirked at L's silence. "After we're done here, we can get further acquainted. There are a lot of things I'd like to know about your past…" He trailed off as he expertly placed the thread into the head of the needle. He stood in front of L, a strange glint in his red eyes.

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To be continued . . .

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A/N: Sorry for the wait. Thank you for all the kind reviews. They are appreciated.

-Special thanks to my lovely beta JJ!!


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